Archive for January, 2012|Monthly archive page

There is nothing better than a good old slice of pane casareccio with some fresh, home-made extra virgin olive oil to begin your morning in the country side of Italy *(or where ever else you may be to remind you of whichever country side far away!) And no, coffee is not a requirement and neither is orange juice, GOOD olive oil is the only “secret ingredient.”

I remember my grandmother always made me eat bread with olive oil when I was a little girl and I insisted I wanted to savor some sweet croissant with butter and marmalade instead…Ohhhhh, little did I know that the simpler the ingredients, the better the receipt! I learnt to appreciate it all way too late.

There are always great ways to be creative in the kitchen with just about nothing as an ingredient, but olive oil MUST always be present *(used before, during and after the meal is ready!) I used olive oil even in Asian Foods and I am pretty sure they have never had olives, let alone “frantoi” to crush the olives in oil. But hey, guess what? I love the texture and the smell and, that, almost bitter-sweet taste it has when it’s absolutely as much extra virgin as possible.

Olive Oil is just one of those giant foods one cannot ever go wrong with…even when you are not Italian, you can sprinkle it anywhere from salads, to brown rice, to pasta, to use it as moisturizer for your dry skin. Seriously though, if you try it on toasted bread with maybe some garlic and rosemary, you will feel the bliss and you will taste nature and it’s earthy flavors in one go.

So, I do not feel much of a stranger when I go places with my home-prepared meal and I have a little jar with extra virgin olive oil with me that I pull our and poor over just about any food I made that day. And yet, it had calories, but com`on…they are the best fat calories you can ever imagine, plus it makes even the worst food taste better.
I am indeed an olive oil fanatic, but that’s ok with me, as far as I do find myself drinking off the bottle on day. That maybe slightly inappropriate!

So I am back in Italy for a few weeks and I decided to go to my house in Tuscany and start setting up the foundation for the Brunisola Retreat in July in Porto Santo Stefano. I was inspired already, but after I saw Isola del Giglio at sunset, I could not but take this photo and get even more excited about it all.
So, prepare yourself to have your socked knocked off. We will have such a wonderful time meditating and practicing on my beach house’s big terrace as well as hiking and mountain biking all over Monte Argentario.
Not to mention eating fresh food prepared daily and enjoying some wonderful time at the Cala Grande private rocky beach beneath my house.
The retreat will be the second week in July *(July 10-18). Make sure to schedule your trip soon because we only have 11 spots.
Can’t wait to start this wonderful adventure…